For those on the dark side of the moon when it comes to perfect US replica Omega Speedmaster watches collecting, Heritage Auctions is offering something that is both exceedingly collectible, undeniably cool, and incredibly rare – a solid gold commemorative Speedmaster given to Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins.
You remember Apollo 11, right? It was kind of a big deal. On July 20th, 1969, man first set foot on the moon. Omega marked the achievement with a special run of solid gold 1:1 online Omega Speedmaster fake watches. Of the 1014 examples made, the first thirty of the Omega Apollo XI Speedmasters (reference BA145.022) were offered as gifts to those who made the moon landing possible.
Though President Nixon and VP Agnew did not accept the first two in the series, the next 28 were given to NASA astronauts based on their tenure with the administration. Command Module Pilot Michael Collins received #19 and lot 54101 includes not only the Swiss made replica watches but also a letter from Collins reading:
“This cheap Omega copy watches was given to me shortly after the flight of Apollo XI, and has been in my personal possession ever since. I wore it seldom if ever, but I have wound it every decade or so, and I believe it is in perfect operating condition. –Michael Collins, Apollo XI CMP”
The caseback is also personalized to commemorate Collins’ involvement with Gemini 10 and Apollo 11, and the best replica watches comes on its original gold bracelet. All told, the lot, with 14 days left to bid, is currently at $105,000 (at the time of posting). Seeing as special Speedmasters have been routinely setting new auction records in recent years, we have no idea just how high this will go, but it’s definitely one very precious example that marks the moment when the top super clone Omega Speedmaster became the Moonwatches.
Many years ago at an Omega event with NASA in Houston, I got a chance to experience an original BA145.022 that was owned by, perhaps unsurprisingly, Robert-Jan Broer of Fratello Watches. It immediately became my favorite Speedmaster (here it is, with the modern anniversary re-issue) as it’s drop-dead gorgeous, has amazing provenance, and is essentially high quality fake watches that functions as a yellow-gold trophy for going to the dang moon. I also happen to have a real soft spot for black dial furniture and yellow gold.
While #1 and #2 are now part of 2022 AAA replica Omega‘s museum collection watches, for my money, I think one given to an astronaut like Michael Collins is all the more cool, especially to both Speedy nerds and those with a passion for past lunar exploration. If you want to flex hard at space camp this summer, hit the link below to check out the lot listing.
